DNA leads to breakthrough as BSO cold case unit solves the 1975 murders of two teenage girls

Broward County, Florida – In a stunning breakthrough nearly five decades in the making, the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Cold Case Homicide Unit has officially solved the 1975 murders of two 14-year-old girls, Darlene Zetterower and Barbara Schreiber. The resolution comes thanks to years of tireless investigation, new witness accounts, and remarkable advancements in DNA technology.

On a summer day in June 1975, the two teenage girls—fresh out of eighth grade—disappeared after reportedly getting into a van with two men in Hollywood, Florida. The next day, their bodies were discovered near the edge of the Everglades. The case went cold for decades, haunting detectives, the community, and the families left behind.

Now, with answers finally in hand, BSO Detective Andrew Gianino and a team of crime lab experts have named Robert Clark Keebler and Lawrence Stein as the perpetrators. Though both men have since died, investigators say they are confident in their findings.

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“The case was filed with the (Broward) State Attorney’s Office for prosecution as though the defendants were alive. However, they had died years ago,” said Detective Gianino. “So, a case that is exceptionally cleared is because the defendants are dead, and the prosecuting attorney agreed with our assessment that if they were alive they would be criminally prosecuted for these homicides.”

Investigators were able to connect Keebler and Stein to the crime through DNA found on the victims’ clothing. This critical evidence, inaccessible to investigators in 1975, became the key that finally unlocked the truth. The latest forensic techniques enabled the cold case team to match the DNA to the suspects with confidence.

Detective Gianino acknowledged the bittersweet nature of the resolution. “(Keebler and Stein) lived full lives, very violent lives,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s justice. But at least it gives the family some answers.”

For the families of Barbara and Darlene, those answers have been a long time coming. Kimberly Schreiber, Barbara’s sister, expressed deep appreciation to everyone who played a role in bringing the case to a close.

“They’d be so happy that somebody didn’t give up,” she said of her late parents and brother. “That your team didn’t give up. That Detective Andrew didn’t give up.”

The BSO Cold Case Homicide Unit was created in 2019 with the mission of solving long-forgotten murders and sex crimes. Led by a dedicated group of seasoned investigators, the unit works relentlessly to review old cases through a new lens—one that now includes advanced DNA processing and renewed efforts to engage witnesses and families.

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Sheriff Dr. Gregory Tony, who has championed cold case investigations as a departmental priority, praised the team’s perseverance.

“I commend the work of the BSO Cold Case Homicide and Crime Lab units that refused to let Barbara and Darlene’s violent deaths go unanswered and their voices unheard,” Sheriff Tony said. “Sadly, these two men will not be tried in a court of law, but this outcome should reassure the community that BSO is committed to pursuing justice no matter how long it takes.”

While the discovery cannot undo the tragedy that occurred in 1975, the identification of the killers has offered a measure of peace to grieving loved ones and a renewed sense of purpose for those who fight to solve the unsolved.

BSO’s success in this case underscores the growing impact of cold case units nationwide and the power of DNA evidence to provide answers even decades later. For the community of Broward County and beyond, this development is a solemn but hopeful reminder that justice may sleep, but it never forgets.